Triathlon pair heads for world showdown

FOR most people, a trip to Hawaii would mean sun, sand and plenty of relaxation.

Well, that is not going to be the case for Boyne/Tannum triathlon pair Mike Dunstan and Petro Kuiper who are competing at the World Age Championships in Honolulu on October 9.

Not that they are complaining, with the training partners wellknown for their winning exploits in Central Queensland triathlon ranks.

The local duo are forming part of a 300-strong Australian team for the worlds, with an estimated 4000 competitors from across the world expected to compete.

This year's championships are the third for Dunstan who will line-up in the 45-49 years age group.

And he goes into the event in form after producing a personal best time of 2 hours, 8 minutes at an event in Noosa on Sunday.

"Things are going well at this stage, it was nice to score a PB on the weekend,'' Dunstan said.

"That performance gives me a lot of confidence heading into Hawaii.''

It will be the second worlds in as many years for 35-39 years age competitor Kuiper who cannot wait to compete. "I am really looking forward to Hawaii, we have done plenty of training and I just can't wait to get out there,'' Kuiper said.

"It was a real buzz last year for me in Portugal, so I am happy and excited to be competing again.'' When Kuiper says that she and Dunstan have done the training, she is right.

In preparation for the worlds, the pair have been doing up to 300km on the bike, 50km on the run and 12km in the pool every week for six months.

With temperatures expected of 35C and 90 per cent humidity, there is no doubt the training for the Olympic distance course of 1.5km swim, 40km ride and 10km run is sure to pay off.